Many people tie the number on a bathroom scale to how healthy they are, but gauging your health by this number alone would not give you the full picture.
Your body weight is a start, but you also have to factor in height, age, gender and, finally, analyze what percentage of your weight is fat. All those factors paint a picture of your overall health. It’s important to measure this, as an overweight reading has been tied to health risks such as type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, coronary heart disease, gallbladder disease, obstructive sleep apnea and certain cancers*.
Some scales can give you a body fat percentage, but the most accurate reading will be done by your doctor or at a London Drugs Nutrition Clinic. The clinics are one-on-one, and completely confidential. Your measurements and results are for you only, and you’ll receive the latest information on healthy eating and exercise in accordance with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Once you have a credible starting point, using your weight to track your progress is a good way to proceed. You have to remember your weight as shown on a scale can fluctuate day-to-day for many reasons, so it’s best to weigh yourself once a week at the same time for consistency and to allow for those variations. Once you’ve established a baseline of weight, BMI and body fat percentage, you can use weight as a simple monitoring tool to chart your progress in any lifestyle changes you’ve made. If you took a London Drugs Nutrition Clinic, you can schedule a follow-up appointment six to eight weeks down the road to get another full reading.
Some statistics for Canada
– Overweight and obesity have increased in Canadians over the past two decades.
– Over 1 in 4 Canadian adults are obese; 8.6% of children aged 6 to 17 are obese†
– Underweight health problems include osteoporosis, infertility and impaired immunocompetence.
– Your scale weight is not a good enough indicator on its on of whether you are at a healthy weight or not.
What is YOUR healthy weight?
The very best way to determine your own healthy weight is to make an appointment with your family doctor, or register for a Nutrition Clinic at a London Drugs store close to you. Download the schedule of clinics and phone numbers here, and call to book your one-on-one consultation for a nominal fee.
NOTE: Each London Drugs store holds only one day of consultations between now and March 2. Please check the schedule here to find the day your closest store is offering the clinics.
Connect with others who are making lifestyle and health changes—take part in our conversation by following us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LondonDrugs. We have daily topics that we’d love your thoughts on.
Watch for next week’s article, “What is BMI and why is it important?”
* From “Canadian Guidelines for Body Weight Classification in Adults,” Health Canada, 2003
† From “Obesity in Canada,” Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2011
